Rejuvenate and Recharge At These
30 Top Spa Havens
Written by Bernard Burt, Talia Goldenberg, Margie Goldsmith, Rebecca Hensley, Bess Hochstein, Gina Hyams, Judy Kirkwood, Dina Mishev, Amy Reiley, Katherine Stewart, Karen Werner, Melissa B. Williams, Judy M. Zimmerman
Spas are a wonderful place to escape, revive, and restore our commitment to our health and well-being. But at these top 30 spa havens, you’ll find even more. Whether you’re looking for a new beginning, or to amp up your fitness routine, these properties—some veterans others new kids on the block—promise to deliver.
Rejuvenate
one
Woodsy Oasis
Just ninety miles from New York City, you’ll find the Lodge at Woodloch, a 75-acre destination spa (the first to open in more than a decade.) Situated in Pennsylvania’s Lake Region, the country lodge setting inspires guests to unwind, while nourishing themselves inside and out. At Tree, the lodge’s restaurant, you’ll sample mostly organic cuisine that defines a new era of spa fare. In between hiking and water activities on the private 15-acre lake, immerse yourself in such classes as yoga and drumming, before you indulge in one of the signature experiences at the world-class spa. We suggest trying the Awakening the Senses Head to Toe Ritual. Your senses won’t regret it. (866) 953-8500, www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com
—M.B.W.
two
Personalized Pampering
Mayflower Inn & Spa is nestled in 58 acres of enchanted woods in northwestern Connecticut. With a capacity for just 30 visitors and a staff-to-guest ratio of five to one, this intimate destination spa is ultra-luxurious, yet unpretentious. Its three, four, and five-night inclusive packages include unlimited spa treatments, scrumptious healthy cuisine, and classes in everything from aqua Pilates and snowshoeing to hypnotherapy and memoir writing. An advisor coordinates a personalized program for each guest that can be as gung-ho athletic or lazy sybaritic as you wish, depending on what aspects of your life need rejuvenating—be it that you need a nutrition makeover or to heal from a broken heart. Don’t miss the meditative stone labyrinth modeled on the one at Chartres Cathedral in France. (860) 868-9466, www.mayflowerinn.com
—G.H.
Balance
three
Seaweed with Style
A destination designed for slowing down the speed of life, Sooke Harbour Houses’s individually appointed guest rooms boast floor to ceiling views of Vancouver Island’s rocky shore. Adding to the sensory experience, the award-winning dining room serves native, natural cuisine, mostly grown or fished just steps from the kitchen. This philosophy extends to the spa, where a seaweed soak wraps guests in freshly harvested kelp. With nearby hiking, bird watching, and fishing, Sooke Harbour House is a celebration of British Columbia’s pure beauty. (800) 889-9688, www.sookeharbourhouse.com
—A.R.
four
Heaven in the Haldimand Hills
Entering Ste. Anne’s is like slipping back to a more genteel era; only the gracious stone walls betray its farmhouse past. Overstuffed, upholstered chairs and settees arranged near cozy fireplaces offer cosseting comfort in all public rooms and in spacious guest rooms and six unique cottages. Guests are encouraged to take meals (including afternoon tea) in their bathrobes, which belies the elegant-yet-comfortable setting and gourmet cuisine. The Aveda spa offers a broad array of luxurious treatments in soothing spaces. Group classes tend toward the mellow. Be sure to set aside time to enjoy the Fieldstone Grotto with hot tub as well as the bucolic view from a lawn chair. (888) 346-6772, www.steannes.com
—B.H.
five
Cavern Oasis
Hidden between two bunches of palms is Al Capone’s original desert hideaway, Two Bunch Palms in Desert Hot Springs, California. While situated in the desert, the resort’s 256-acres feature luscious orchards and an emerald sanctuary. The green center holds the resort’s main attraction: relaxing in the Grotto’s hot spring pool, one of few natural aquatic getaways. Follow your pure water escape with an exclusive Watsu massage held in two private pools devoted to the weightless warm-water therapy or by relaxing to the divine sound of rippling water while you receive a mineral-rich mud treatment inside a rustic Villa. (760) 329-8791, www.twobunchpalms.com
—T.G.
six
Southwest Sento
Santa Fe and its adobe downtown are pure desert Southwest, and the scenery inside Ten Thousands Waves, just four miles outside the city, is pure Japan: rock gardens, waterfalls and pagodas (which are the treatment rooms). Combine the two and you get a won’t-find-this-anywhere-else aesthetic: Far East meets desert West. Refresh and relax in one of nine hot baths before giving your skin new life with the Japanese Nightingale Facial. Unique to the Waves, this facial uses processed nightingale droppings, which have been used for centuries by geisha, and Dermalogica products to brighten and smooth skin. (505) 982-9304, www.tenthousandwaves.com
—D.M.
seven
Mayan Rituals
Maroma Resort & Spa, an intimate sixty-five room white stucco property on the Yucatan Peninsula, not only offers guests seclusion; it also provides a multitude of opportunities to cleanse body and soul. With one of the most pristine beaches in the Caribbean, Maroma plays homage to its Mayan roots through its architecture, cuisine, and treatments at the Kinan Spa. Take the unique opportunity to refresh and renew during the property’s signature Mayan Temazcal ritual. During the 60-minute ceremony, you’ll be enclosed in a steamy hut—kept warm by the heat of volcanic rock—while your temazcalera leads you through sacred chants in total darkness. Before exiting the steamy environs, you’ll cover your body in mud and then plunge into the Caribbean, emerging refreshed and reconnected to your greater vision. (011)52-998-87-28200, www.maromahotel.com
—M.B.W.
eight
Cleanse in the Catskills
Among the rich wilderness of Catskill Forest Preserve in Neversink, New York, you’ll be rewarded with the atypical spa experience of New Age Health Spa. The all-inclusive spa stresses the importance of health and well-being, so to assist you on your journey toward spiritual and external symmetry the spa highlights its guidelines to serenity: no alcohol, caffeine or nicotine is allowed and the use of the television is sparse. The not-so-average amenities are punctuated with soul-seeking activities like the Sweat Lodge, an ancient Native-American cleansing ceremony. Three wholesome meals are served a day, available by on-site garden sanctuaries, adding a flavorful touch to the diverse experience. (800)682-4348, www.newagehealthspa.com
—T.G.
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